


Wise Enough

by Callendra



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Psychological, Reader Is Not Frisk, Sans centered mostly, Song Lyrics, Song fic, eh, gender neutral reader, mention of depression, probably self-indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 07:51:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11308971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callendra/pseuds/Callendra
Summary: Sans leaves his sentry station for one of his legally-required breaks and goes deeper into WATERFALL. Only to hear something unusual coming from the echo flowers. (spoilers)





	Wise Enough

**Author's Note:**

> This is some kind of exploration of Sans' feelings and thoughts. Probably nothing you have never read before. But "Wise Enough" by Lamb seemed really fitting, and inspired me to write this. Eh, I hope that this will be a pleasant read for you.  
> song: [Wise Enough - Lamb](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t5QSiydF9Y)

The calming rumble of the ever-flowing water accompanied every step you took on the black grass. The oneiric blue gleam of the trees and constant stream was your only source of light as you simply strolled, taking in the surreal beauty of WATERFALL. No, not the only light. If the trees died and the river dried, little flickering dots would still glow from the ceiling. Breathing in the soft scents coming from the flora around you, you contemplated the sparkling specks.

  
Approaching an echo flower, you listened as it said something about needing to buy a new pair of gloves. You looked up and spotted several other flowers ahead. As an idea invaded your mind, you glanced once up at the shining ceiling, before your opened your mouth.

\- - - - -

Sans sighed softly as he dragged himself away from his sentry station. Well, his hot dogs stall. Well, his water lilies napkins stall. Well, whatever to make money really. He had been to Grillby's three times already: once to get breakfast, once to get brunch, and another time just because he hadn't felt like he had paid enough attention to his surroundings. It was reassuring, hell, soothing to hear familiar voices. To bathe in the familiar greasy and warm atmosphere of the bar. Even if it was meaningless. Even if it felt unreal. Sometimes, it felt like he would phase right through everyone like any common ghost if he tried to touch them. He kept his hands in his pockets most of the time, it helped wrapping his reality with a little more density. Because he might just start caring again if he realized he couldn't get a grip. Sometimes he wondered if just accepting he was powerless made him sane or insane. Did it really matter?

  
He slowly walked away from his station, taking one of his legally-required breaks. Seeking loneliness and calm he made his way deeper into WATERFALL. Coming across a few known faces, he greeted them back simply with a quiet “hey.” and moved on. He felt tired. “WHAT COULD POSSIBLY TIRE YOU BROTHER? YOU HARDLY EVER EXERCISE!” the ever enthusiastic Papyrus would – had already claimed – argue. “eh, you know me bro, my kind of exercise is to dive in my bed with both feet.”

And thanks to his bad puns and apparent careless attitude, it would feel like he just dodged a bullet. His brother gladly would never know what it felt like... mental exhaustion. He would do anything for Papyrus to never go through this, in any timeline.

  
His slippers brushing the grass as he walked absent-mindedly, he thought about the basement he kept secret from his little brother, the one he had just recently gone to again. After your arrival. Only, once again, to find a broken machine. When the alarms had first rung, it felt like years ago, he had religiously kept track of every new jump. When someone died, when someone disappeared, when something fortunate occurred out of nowhere. Minty, the innkeeper, dragging the whole town into the desperate search for her son. Napstablook finding new equipments on his doorsteps to make his music. Mettaton coming up with new ideas for his show.

  
He had taken notes of everything at first. But it had quickly proven to be meaningless. With every reset, his notes were erased along with the rest. Leaving only a few blurred memories that felt more like dreams. And he would have simply deemed them valueless if he himself hadn't known about quantum physics. It had been excruciatingly frustrating and defeating to run in circles. And the most important piece of information had always been missing: the identity of the prick who thought it was funny to mess around with people and the continuum itself. Or he couldn't remember. Only the data about the disruption had remained. Until the machine had broken altogether.

  
At first he hadn't liked you. The moment he had set his eyes on you, you had become the number one suspect. And yet, it was the first time you had been seen in the UNDERGROUND. And, surprisingly, no dust was sprinkled on you. You were unstained with any LOVE. He had kept his eye-sockets on you the whole time. Shortcut after shortcut, once even clearly messing around when he had planted himself nearly a few dozens of feet in front of you just when you had looked away a second too long. He had thought it would send a message: “hey, dont think you can be a smartass around here, 'cause you probly ain't ahead of me, kiddo.”

And up til that point, you had done pretty okay, even went through a failed date and became friends with Papyrus. But it didn't mean much, did it? Good things had happened before, only to be erased again. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but deep inside his indifferent, tough SOUL, a drop of hope was slowly being ignited. But if he had actually been more conscious of it, he would have shaken the thought away. He couldn't burden himself with such a shattering feeling. Or... or perhaps he could just give into it, for just a moment... before it would be wiped out all over again.

The thought of you imposed on his mind. When you had passed by his station half an hour ago, he had offered you to follow him to Grillby's, and you had said no. His ever-lasting grin had faltered ever so slightly, but he had just brushed the refusal off with a light response. He who thought that he came off as friendly. But he had to give it to you: grabbing a drink with no hand wasn't easy. After all, he had a dis-arm-ing smile. He chuckled quietly at his own bad joke. Eh, you had agreed to look into his telescope after all, and you hadn't even gotten mad when you had discovered the paint on your face. This was a redeeming reaction, right?

“ _I had a dream that, all of time was running dry._ ”

Sans looked up, recognizing the voice right away. He expected to see you next to him, dumbstruck that you would be able to sneak up on him. Instead, he found himself staring at the echo flower emitting the harmonious sound of your singing. He stayed motionless a short moment, simply listening, feeling that this simple line reached more deeply than it should have. He glanced at the next flower and came closer.

“ _And life was like a comet, falling from the sky. I woke so frightened, in a dawning oh so clear._ ”

There was something in your voice, something pensive. Something deep and meaningful. Sans frowned, feeling a tightness in his chest he hadn't felt in a long time. This song, it hit way too close to home. And the way you performed it... it wasn't just any random song floating in your mind. You sang it with purpose. He pressed on.

“ _How precious is the time, we have here._ ”

He stopped again. Every new happy moment he got to live with his beloved brother, he wished he could turn it into a lasting one. Some slices of life were precious enough to scratch down on paper and keep in a locked drawer. And yet, yet they could turn into slashes. The drawing, the photos and the blueprints he kept in his locked drawer had helped him remember, and had nursed a crippling emptiness within. Forgetting his older brother would have been easier. Especially when he had just scattered memories of him, thinly linked to the few objects he had preserved.

“ _Are we not wise enough, to give all we are? Surely we're bright enough, to outshine the stars._ ”

He looked up at the twinkling ceiling. Humans books had given him samples of what the SURFACE was like. He used to share the excitement, the eagerness. When he used to work in the labs with Alphys and... others. What for, really? Here is a little metaphysical question: does a moment of happiness that you can live again and again become meaningless if you can't remember it? Does it keep existing? Eh, enough to give someone a skull-ache.

“ _But people can get so lost, in finding their way; when we have a chance to make a difference til our dying day._ ”

Sans kept walking, listening to your singing voice, retracing your steps. This isn't really how he had envisaged spending his break. There he was, contemplating once again his swirling thoughts. For a scientist, he was very indifferent. [](http://www.casimages.com/i/170626094912832221.jpg.html)***** would have been enthralled to study a disruption in the space-time continuum. He had been motivated at first though, when he still cultivated the hope of bringing him back. Before his efforts could be crushed to pieces. It felt like a long time ago. He kept following the sound of your voice, to the rhythm of his reflections.

“ _All I'm really asking is: what are we doing here? Are we just killing time? Just living year to year? In this big world, no one else can play our part. Ain't it time to just wake up and give it all?_ ”

Looking up from the new flower, Sans spotted you in the distance. You were simply sitting by the riverside, fingers drawing waves in the translucent water. If you had heard someone trigger the echo flower, you were not showing any sign of it. Nervousness was seeping into his bones. He could just teleport away; back to his station as if he had never left, at Grillby's for the fourth time. Go mess around with anybody really. But now that he had heard you sing this song...

“hey, kiddo... so... _water_ you doing here?” he asked, hopefully as casual as he usually was, walking behind you.  “taking a little break before getting to the core of your problem?”

You turned your head slightly to the side, a smile curling up your lips. “You could say that.” you confirmed, before looking back around. “I am just drinking in the peace and beauty of this place.”

He let out a soft but deep chuckle, still standing behind you. “just dont take your own words too literally. come buy ketchup for 500G if you're thirsty.”

You let out a snort at his offer. He had tried to sell you fried snow before, the hilarious bastard. Well, he had been obviously joking. You fell silent again. There was something about Sans. Something you had a hard time to pinpoint. About his never faltering grin and cool attitude. He could be all creepy, and the next thing you knew he was cracking a joke. He was infinitely more complex than his brother. Papyrus, under his exterior of egotism and ambition, hid kindness and a yearning for recognition. A detail he didn't even conceal. But Sans... you had the feeling he was hiding much more. Behind his constant mask of joy and humour.

“so, you know all about the echo flower, huh.” he broke the silence, now taking a seat next to you. “papyrus told me something interesting the other day. sometimes, when no one else is around... a flower appears and whispers things to him. flattery... advice... encouragement... predictions... weird, huh? someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him. keep an eye out, ok? thanks.” He didn't want to bring out the real matter directly, rather to plant the idea in your mind and see what you would do with it.

You frowned at his words. 'a flower appears'? 'flattery'? This sounded like something else entirely. Sans didn't know about Flowey, or he would have simply asked you to warn him if you saw a yellow flower talking to his brother. And actually, now that you were thinking about it, was he implicitly accusing you? Why? He had been rather straightforward with you since you met. But he had also played with his brother when he had advised you to hide behind the lamp. Flowey, whoever this was, clearly wasn't good news. Even though you actually barely knew Papyrus, the idea of Flowey messing with him was very unpleasant.

“I think I know who you are talking about, and this is not an echo flower.” you replied knowingly and a little grimly. And as you turned to him, you found Sans staring at you with his brow arched and an insistent look in his eye. So you pursued, looking away.

“I met with a peculiar flower after my fall. He said his name was Flowey. Yellow petals and a white face in the middle. Looked friendly enough before he pretended his seeds or whatever were 'friendliness pellets.'” you shook your head a bit bitterly.

You looked back up at Sans, to see a look of cheer confusion on his face. Now that you thought about it, it sounded weird. You would have laughed upon imagining what kind of mental image he had just formed in his head, but you weren't too keen on imagining anything weird with that flower.

“What I mean is: he attacked me. So yeah, I'll keep an eye out, I don't want this monster to harm Papyrus.” you finally assured.

Sans was quiet, and judging the look on his face, he was thoughtful. Unwilling to tear him out of his reflections, you remained silent. The moment Papyrus had told him about a flower, something had triggered an incomplete memory. He had looked for notes, for any information on it to help him remember, in vain. He had looked for this flower but never had the luck to come face to face with him. Even when he had spied on his brother. It almost seemed... intentional. If this flower could appear and disappear anywhere in the UNDERGROUND – very much like himself – could he have also known about the timelines? His eye-sockets turned suddenly black. He had stopped all his attempts to bring [](http://www.casimages.com/i/170626095116691280.jpg.html)***** back, to repair the machine... because of a flower? There was just one place he hadn't searched yet, somewhere he hadn't gone to in a long time.

“ya really like my brother, huh?” he inquired.

You turned back to him, taken aback by this sudden, rather out of place question. “Hum... well... yeah, I like him. I am not sure I can really call him a friend, yet, judging he tried to beat the crap out of me... but... he is so full of life, and some kind of innocence. And this must be preserved. I think.”

“eh, careful, kiddo, before y'know it you'll be wrapped around his little finger.”

You left out a quiet and breathy laugh at that. “As along as he doesn't have me under his thumb. He believes I am madly in love with him, I won't ruin his fantasy.”

“that's generous of you, kiddo.” he commented, before falling silent a short moment. “'bout this song... it means something special to ya?” He could have been smoother... but eh.

“Oh... you heard it. Yeah it does. It felt fitting. Since you know... I am pretty much hunted for my SOUL here. It kinda feels like time is running dry when you are trapped with a murderous warrior throwing spears at you.” You let out a sarcastic laugh.

“you must be dying to get out of here. can't blame ya, eh... always thought you were a sharp one.”

You shook your head with a little smile. Of course he would be punning about your possible death. “When I first woke up, I was just determined to leave this place. Then I met some of you, I heard you talking about life down here. I am starting to feel more than the desire to go back to the SURFACE now.”

You paused, thinking about what you had learned so far. Humans SOULS were far stronger than monsters'. Which meant that if you truly wished to harm them, you could. Yet, you were impossibly alone down there and what would happen if they decided to team up and take you down all at once? This Undyne? The King? Sans? You had no real desire to fight them anyway. Just enough to keep yourself alive.

“whaddayamean?” he asked, his voice losing a bit of its casual coolness.

“I mean... you've been trapped down there in poor conditions because of a war that happened centuries ago. The SURFACE is big enough for everyone. I guess... Well, depending how many you really are. But I can't help but wonder what would happen if you managed to get out. Would there be another war? Upon seeing that trapping you wasn't enough, would my species decide to... use another method to make sure you won't be a problem any more? Or... judging your King wants my SOUL to grant himself tremendous powers, would monsters decide to get rid of my species? What would be the best: staying here under poor conditions but relatively safe, or breaking the barrier and possibly diving into something worse?”

Sans emitted a soft chuckle. “real brain racker huh?” He rubbed the back of his head, creating a strange rattling sound, as he looked down at the water. “i'm gonna be blunt, kiddo, but I got to ask ya something.” This effectively brought your attention back on him. “you're the one who's been messing with the timelines?” his voice naturally grew a little more menacing.

The look of pure bewilderment on your face couldn't have been fake, he thought. One had to be a very skilled liar to face an unexpected question like this one. And up to this point, you had seemed to be rather truthful. You stared at him for a moment, your eyes roaming a bit on his face. Before you finally shook your head.

“No. I have no idea how I could even do that.” you still looked rather nonplussed. And this brought something back to your memory, a simple detail. 'You'll die and you'll die…' 'let ME inherit the power to control it?' It had sounded so weird to you... those words had been carved into your mind.

“I think that, once again, you should look into this flower. He said strange things to me, about controlling this world and being able to come back to life. He surely knows more than I do.” you simply replied pensively.

Sans' insistent eyes left your own to lower to your chest, to your red SOUL shining brightly. “alright, thanks, kiddo. i'll dig into it.”

It felt strange, but he felt like his breathing had grown more laboured suddenly. A tightening sensation was encasing his SOUL, as if his rib cage was caving in on it. If he found this 'Flowey' and confronted him, perhaps he could break this nightmarish, vicious spiral. Perhaps this time it would have unparalleled consequences. If only he could have checked the continuum after your arrival, he would have known. Until the next reset.

  
A harmonious sound rose next to him. He looked back at you, to see you gazing at your surroundings. The same melody he heard not long ago filled his ears and the area. Perhaps, just perhaps, the never-changing events would take an unexpected turn. You were here after all. Or he could simply keep watching you and see how you would do. If you had met with this flower before, surely you would deal with it again. For the time being, he just stared at you silently, spending the rest of his break listening to your peaceful humming.

 

**Author's Note:**

> We don't really know how much Sans knows about... everything. But I was always frustrated not to be able to tell Sans "ah no, not an echo flower, but the mean Flowey who wants to you know... take control of everything. You should keep an eye out too."
> 
> Although it is obvious, I'll say it anyway: I don't own the song (just changed the lyrics a bit to fit the situation), I don't own any of the characters except 'you' (Nyeh eheheh) and I don't own some of the dialogues.  
> There you go, this wasn't much but I do hope that you, who is reading this right now, enjoyed it. The only thing I hope is that this was remotely interesting, and that Sans was in character.
> 
> * "He" and "him"


End file.
